Amazon and BestBuy Start to Take Pre-Orders on PlayStation Vita.

Amazon.com and BestBuy have started to take pre-orders on Sony PlayStation Vita portable video game system, which automatically reveals launch dates of PS Vita in Canada and the United States.

Amazon is accepting pre-orders onto Wi-Fi and 3G/Wi-Fi versions of PlayStation Vita in the U.S. and promises to ship them on the 31st of December, 2011. BestBuy Canada is also accepting pre-orders (1, 2) onto the consoles with the plan to release them on the 30th of March, 2012. Prices on the devices are in line with expectations and recommendations. Unfortunately, it is unclear whether the dates are official launch dates in Canada and the U.S.

Sony intends to release its next-generation portable system this year in Japan and intends to launch it in other regions sometimes next year, according to official statements made by the company earlier.

It is not a secret that Sony has tradition to release its consoles first in Japan and only after that roll them out in other regions. In particular, the U.S. is the second market to launch latest Sony video game systems and Europe is the third region to get the new consoles.

Sony PlayStation Vita is based on a system-on-chip with four ARM Cortex-A9 cores, PowerVR SGX543MP4+ graphics engine and a memory controller. The new portable game console has 5" multi-touch OLED screen with 960x544 resolution, typical set of PSP buttons, two cameras (front and rear), Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity, GPS, six-axis motion sensing system (three-axis gyroscope, three-axis accelerometer), three-axis electronic compass, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR controller, integrated speakers and microphone as well as multi touchpad located on the back side of the system. For the first time, a portable entertainment system will feature two analog sticks, which enable a wider range of game genres to be brought into the portable experience.

A Wi-Fi model will be available for ¥24980 yen (including tax) in Japan, $249 in the U.S. and €249 in Europe, while a 3G/Wi-Fi model will be available for ¥29980 yen (including tax) in Japan, $299 in the U.S. and €299 in Europe. PS Vita will launch in the global market starting at the end of 2011. AT&T, which powers the U.S.’s fastest mobile broadband network, will be the exclusive service provider in the United States for PlayStation Vita.